The Mongoose and the Brahmin's Wife

Once
upon a time, there lived a Brahman by the name of Deva Sharma with his
wife. His wife delivered a son and they were happy to have their first
child. The Brahmin wanted to have a pet animal to protect the child
which would also be a companion to the child. The Brahmin kept his
proposal before the Brahmani. She found the proposal acceptable and the
Brahmin went to bring a pet.

Deva Sharma
went round the village and after much toil, got a mongoose as an escort
to his child. Brahmani didn’t like the idea to keep a mongoose for her
child. But as the pet was already brought, so she accepted it. Now, both
of them started loving the mongoose as their own child. Yet, the
Brahmani never left her son alone because she did not trust the
mongoose, fearing that it could harm her son.

One day, the
farmer and his wife had to go out of the house leaving the child at
home. The farmer confirmed that the mongoose would take care of the
child while they would be away. So, they left the mongoose and the child
at home and went out. Soon after they left, a cobra entered the home.
Finding danger to the son of the Brahmin, the mongoose attacked the
cobra. They had a bloody combat and the mongoose succeeded in killing
the cobra. After this,
mongoose heard the footfalls of Brahmin’s wife and went at the door to
greet her. Brahmani was trembled to see the blood stained mouth of the
mongoose. She inferred that the mongoose had killed the child. Without a
second thought, she threw a heavy box on mongoose and the mongoose died
at the spot. Brahmani quickly entered the house to see her child and to
her great surprise, she found her child sleeping quietly in the
cradle.

As soon as,
she saw a snake bitten into pieces lying near the cradle, she realized
that the mongoose had saved her child. The Brahmani was struck by grief
that she had killed the mongoose that was like a sibling to her son. She
cried loud at her hasty action.